# What's the difference between a cold and a flu? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 1999, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940 "1999-12-10T14:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d78d45/32.png) [@Inky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 1999, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/1 "1999-12-10T14:49:00Z")
Am a sick little Inky. So, what’s the difference between a cold and a flu? They both suck… ---
**Author:** ![PurpleCrackwhore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@PurpleCrackwhore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleCrackwhore)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 1999, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/2 "1999-12-10T15:29:00Z")
one is spelled c o l d and the other f l u * * * “Only when he no longer knows what he is doing, does the painter do good things.” --Edgar Degas ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 1999, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/3 "1999-12-10T15:59:00Z")
I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TSDMB… Flu is short for a specific type of viral infection otherwise known as _influenza_. IIRC this word comes from italy and means _bad star_, named way back when it was believed that disease was caused by the _influence_ of the stars. It is a viral infection of the respiratory tract that causes fever, headache, muscle aches, and weakness. There are three types of influenza virus. All are spread from person to person by inhaling infected droplets from the air. Type A is usually responsible for the large outbreaks and is a constantly changing virus. New strains of Type A virus develop regularly and result in a new epidemic every few years. Types B and C are fairly stable viruses. Type B causes smaller outbreaks, and Type C usually causes mild illness similar to the common cold. The incidence is 7 out of 1,000 people. As near as I can tell, a cold is a lesser infection of the _upper_ repiratory tract (ears, nose & throat and usually comes with symptoms that are much less serious than a flu. I think a cold is confined to the head cavities (sinuses, inner ear, throat, etc.) whereas a flu affects pretty much all the major systems in your body, or at least it feels that way. Gazuntheit. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 1999, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/4 "1999-12-10T16:13:00Z")
First of all, there is no ‘cold’ and there is no ‘Flu.’ These are generic terms for a “group” of viruses. Colds=rhinovirus Flu=influenze virus. No you don’t get the same virus twice, so what you did for one before won’t do the same for the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/5 "1999-12-11T03:04:00Z")
Actually the flu is a lot worse. It can be life threatening. The common cold isn’t (for otherwise healthy people) One key factor that almost never happens in a cold is a body ache. An internal aching not one caused by a head being stuffed up. These occur all over your body. Back in 96 I had the flu and it was worse than when I had pnuemonia. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/6 "1999-12-11T16:48:00Z")
Colds come on slowly & flus come on pretty fast, that’s basically how you know which you got! ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/7 "1999-12-11T22:06:00Z")
Also, if you have a fever, it’s probably not a cold. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 1999, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-a-cold-and-a-flu/11940/8 "1999-12-11T22:45:00Z")
If I go through a half a roll of Charmin blowing my nose, it’s a cold. If I use it for its intended purpose, it’s the flu.